The trail that descends from the Pygmy Forest into Fern Canyon amid redwoods at Van Damme State Park on the Mendocino coast

Photo: Tom Stienstra / Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

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Mendocino is perhaps the most charming place on Earth. The coastal views from the craggy bluffs, the galleries and bookshops along the main drag, the remoteness of the place — that’s why many of us in the Bay Area beeline up Highway 1 to the town for long weekends.

But zeroing in on Mendocino, the town, means missing out on Mendocino, the county, a less curated 3,800-square-mile region that’s equally special. There are more than 100 miles of Pacific coast, redwood-forested mountains and dozens of wineries along Highway 128 in the Anderson Valley to explore. The country’s topography ensures that you pace yourself — to sip, to soak and to pull over for yet another soul-stirring view.

Exploring the rest of Mendocino County

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1. Sleep in a lighthouse

The 1909 Point Cabrillo Light Station, with its visible-for-15-miles Fresnel lens, has prevented many a shipwreck off the Mendocino coast, a role it still serves, along with being one of the coast’s most picturesque landmarks. Surrounding it are 300 acres of dramatic coastal scenery, laced with trails that skirt headlands and cross meadows where you might spy deer grazing. Dusk is a great time to make the stroll and watch the sunset. Lighthouse buffs, or the merely lighthouse-curious, have two unique options at Point Cabrillo. Eight days a year, the Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association leads tours of the lighthouse’s lantern room and the Fresnel lens, a wonder of multifaceted optics designed to pack maximum light emission in a compact space. You can also go full lighthouse by staying overnight in one of the old light keepers’ cottages, which are managed as vacation rentals. Located on Hwy. 1 about 3 miles north of Mendocino; 707-937-6122. Open daily, sunrise to sunset. www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22276. Rental information: www.pointcabrillo.org/rentals

2. Hike Fern Canyon

The deep woods of Van Damme State Park are as much an olfactory treat as a visual one. The air is laced with a slight salty scent blowing in from the ocean, mixed with the aroma of the coast redwoods and Douglas firs that line the trail. The path, an old logging skid road, starts at the park’s campground, rises gently and enters perennially moist Fern Canyon while making multiple bridge crossings of the Little River. An abundance of ferns — at least 10 species — gives the whole canyon a primeval ambience. You can simply stroll up a couple of miles and turn back, or make a lollipop loop of it by bearing right after 2.5 miles at the Old Logging Road fork. The trail rises out of the canyon, visits Pygmy Forest (named for its dwarf pines and Monterey cypresses) and loops around to rejoin the main trail for a 9-mile round-trip. Located on Hwy. 1, 2 miles south of Mendocino; 707-937-5804; www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=433

3. Hoist a local brew

At Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, locals and travelers mix in the age-old spirit of a roadside public house, and you might even end up speaking a few words of the local folk dialect, Boontling, before you leave. You know, harp a slig of the ling. For sure you can tour the brewery and sample some craft brews in the taproom that you won’t find at Trader Joe’s, like the sour-fruity goses — Briney Melon or Blood Orange, for instance — among the 20 beers on tap daily. Unlike most breweries, AVBC has an 18-hole disc golf course. It lacks a restaurant, though, so the thing to do is grab a sandwich at the Boonville General Store and bring it back for a picnic on the grounds. 17700 Highway 253, Boonville; 707-895-2337; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; www.avbc.com. Boonville General Store: 14077 Hwy. 128, Boonville; 707-895-9477; open daily 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; www.boonvillegeneralstore.com

4. Paddle Big River

If there’s a gateway to Mendocino, it’s the Big River, flowing 42 miles down out of redwood-tufted mountains into the cove that defines the village’s southern rampart. Cross the Highway 1 bridge over the river from the south and you’re officially in Mendocino. But don’t just cross the Big; paddle it. Actually, it’s the river’s tidal estuary — at 8.3 miles, second longest in California — that you’ll be paddling. Recommended vessel: an outrigger canoe from Catch a Canoe & Bicycles Too, tucked into the south bank of the Big just below the bridge. The design of the 20-foot handcrafted redwood boats is brilliant — pontoons make them ultra-stable, while the hull is light, sleek and easy to paddle. It’s more a meditation than high adventure as you glide along calm coils of river through flats of eel grass. Harbor seals might pop up to observe your paddling style, while cormorants and herons glide by. Catch a Canoe & Bicycles, Too, 1 S. Big River Road, Mendocino; 707-937-0273; www.catchacanoe.com

5. Drive the Wine Road

Topography dictates that you can’t beeline from the Bay Area to the Mendocino Coast, and that’s a good thing — especially when you head west from Highway 101 on California 128, the Wine Road through Anderson Valley. More than 50 wineries are tucked into the verdant valley and rolling hills, and more than half of them have tasting rooms. Where to start after you turn west in Cloverdale? Try Yorkville Cellars, the only winery this side of France that grows all eight Bordeaux varietals. Don’t miss Pennyroyal Farm, where you can meet the goats and sheep responsible for the wonderful cheeses that you can pair with suitable wines. Pop into Lichen Estate to sample unusual blends (e.g., Les Pinots Noir and Gris) and sparkling wines. Stop by Phillips Hill, which has a farm stand and alfresco tasting beside a creek. And for lunch, grab an oak-wood-fired pizza from Stone & Embers at the Madrones, a Mediterranean compound with multiple tasting rooms. When the highway leaves the valley, you’ve got 11 miles of dense forest to drive through before hitting the coast at the mouth of the Navarro River. www.visitmendocino.com/highway-128-wine-road

6. Soak in a hot springs

To imagine the sensation of submersion in a Vichy Springs stone tub, picture easing your body into warm Perrier. It tickles at first. Doesn’t feel all that warm (90 degrees). But after a while, all those warm bubbles have a soothing effect that lingers long afterward. Plus, the naturally carbonated mineral water is said to cure everything from psoriasis to poison oak rash. The water flows from 600 feet underground to a pool in a grotto, and then into your private pool under a canopy of oak trees beside babbling Little Grizzly Creek. The entire resort exudes a calm beauty — it comprises 700 private acres of woods and hills laced with hiking trails, as well as cottages that date to the 1850s (the oldest standing structures in the county). Visitors can pay a day rate to enjoy the tubs and grounds — hike, soak, repeat — or stay overnight in one of the cottages and soak at will. 2605 Vichy Springs Road, Ukiah; 707-462-9515; day-use hours 9 a.m. to dusk; www.vichysprings.com

7. Eat at Flow

Mendocino has no shortage of fine places to eat, but Flow is decidedly, well, Mendocino, with the view you came for (at every table), and tasty food at fair prices. The woody interior evokes a sense of being inside a fine wooden ship’s hull, while picture windows on three sides frame views of a grassy bluff extending to the precipice of Mendocino Bay. You can also opt to dine on a deck with that same glorious view. Flow incorporates one of the town’s many 19th century wooden water towers, which you can climb to get an even higher perspective. With farm-to-table ingredients and fresh daily catches, Flow specializes in cioppino, generous helpings of calamari and, of course, fresh fish. But choices like pizza and fish tacos mean you can keep the tab low while enjoying a million-dollar view. Afterward, walk over to Frankie’s, which is pretty Mendocino itself, featuring homemade candy-cap mushroom ice cream (yes, mushroom ice cream) and rotating art exhibits. 45040 Main St., Mendocino; breakfast, lunch and dinner daily; call for hours; 707-937-3569; www.mendocinoflow.com. Frankie’s: 44951 Ukiah St., Mendocino; 707-937-2436; www.frankiesmendocino.com

8. Achieve Nirvana

Don’t scratch your head wondering why a monastery and educational complex called City of 10,000 Buddhas exists in the woodsy town of Ukiah. In the words of its Chinese founder, Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, “The causes and conditions ... were predetermined limitless eons ago.” The monastery was established in 1974, utilizing the 488-acre grounds and buildings of a onetime mental hospital. The main building is called Jeweled Hall, where visitors can enter quietly to sit, perhaps join in chanting with the monks and, if they wish, count the Buddhas. The tall walls are lined with gold-painted molded images of the Buddha, each similar but distinct. Don’t get too lost in counting, though; the number 10,000 represents infinity. The complex also includes a bookstore and a vegan Chinese restaurant open to visitors. 4951 Bodhi Way, Ukiah; 707-462-0939; open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; www.cttbusa.org. Jyun Kang Vegetarian Restaurant: 707-468-7966; 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed on Tuesday; www.cttbusa.org/jyunkang/jk.asp

9. Drive through a redwood tree

If you’re offended by the notion of driving through a redwood tree, keep in mind that the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree near Leggett really belongs to a bygone era of tourism — it was carved by hand in 1937 — and a visit is something of a drive down memory lane. Your big-ass SUV might not even fit anyway, in which case, simply drive around the tree and proceed directly to an abundantly stocked gift shop. As for the tree, it’s a beauty, very much alive — about 315 feet high, 21 feet in diameter, reported to be 2,000 years old and earning its name by the multiple trunks that rise upward from its main body. If you can’t find a suitably cornball souvenir in the gift shop — sequoia magnets, rabbit’s feet, countless bear carvings — you’re not trying. Nearby is a great roadside store and lunch joint called the Peg House, where enjoying a burger on the shady patio is the proper thing to do. 67402 Drive Thru Tree Road, Leggett; 707-925-6464; call for hours; www.drivethrutree.com. The Peg House: 69501 Hwy. 101, Leggett; 707-925-6444; grill open 11 a.m. to dusk; www.thepeghouse.com

10. Explore the Botanical Gardens

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is the rare public garden that’s directly on the ocean — meaning that crashing waves and natural meadows are as much a part of the scene as giant dahlias, hydrangeas and spectacular heathers. The formal gardens are lovingly curated. The Heritage Rose Garden, for example, has heirloom flowers that date back to 19th century Mendocino coast pioneer gardens. The Heaths and Heathers garden is a feast of color — purple in at least a dozen shades. Once you’re thoroughly dazzled by the cultivated stuff, proceed across the seaside prairies, punctuated by groves of shore pine and Monterey cypress, and look for the Cliff House. In chillier months it’s a welcome refuge for whale watchers, but in any season, a spectacular perch with a northward view of wild headlands. 18220 N. Hwy. 1, Fort Bragg; 707-964-4352. Open Thursday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; www.gardenbythesea.org